CVE-2014-0833 in Financial Transaction Manager
Summary
by MITRE
The OAC component in IBM Financial Transaction Manager (FTM) 2.0 before 2.0.0.3 does not properly enforce operator-intervention requirements, which allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions via an unspecified process step.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0833 resides within the Oracle Access Control (OAC) component of IBM Financial Transaction Manager version 2.0 prior to 2.0.0.3. This flaw represents a critical weakness in the system's access control mechanisms that directly undermines the security posture of financial transaction processing environments. The vulnerability specifically targets the operator-intervention requirements that are fundamental to maintaining proper authorization controls in financial systems where human oversight is mandated for sensitive operations. The improper enforcement of these requirements creates a pathway for malicious actors to circumvent established security protocols that are designed to prevent unauthorized access to critical financial data and transaction processing functions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of process steps within the OAC component, allowing authenticated users to manipulate the workflow execution sequence. This weakness enables attackers to bypass the intended multi-step verification processes that should require human intervention before proceeding with sensitive operations. The vulnerability operates at the application logic level where the system fails to properly validate whether all required operator intervention steps have been completed before granting access to restricted functionality. This flaw essentially creates a bypass mechanism that can be exploited by users who have legitimate authentication credentials but should not be able to perform certain operations without proper oversight. The unspecified process step mentioned in the description indicates that the vulnerability can manifest across multiple operational workflows within the financial transaction manager system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass potential financial fraud, data manipulation, and regulatory compliance violations. Financial institutions utilizing IBM FTM 2.0 before the patched version face significant risk of unauthorized transaction processing, where malicious operators could execute financial operations without the required human verification steps. This scenario creates opportunities for insider threats to exploit the system's weak access controls, potentially leading to substantial financial losses and reputational damage. The vulnerability directly contravenes security best practices established by industry standards such as the CWE-284 weakness category, which specifically addresses improper access control mechanisms. Organizations relying on this system may also face violations of regulatory requirements under frameworks like SOX, PCI DSS, and various financial services compliance standards that mandate proper segregation of duties and operator intervention controls.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate deployment of the vendor-provided patch version 2.0.0.3, which addresses the improper enforcement of operator-intervention requirements. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring controls to detect unauthorized workflow manipulations and establish more robust audit trails for transaction processing activities. The remediation process must include comprehensive testing to ensure that all operator-intervention requirements are properly enforced after patch deployment. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts that may have occurred before the patch was applied. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques involving privilege escalation and defense evasion, where attackers leverage weak access control mechanisms to bypass security controls. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and privileged access management solutions to reduce the potential impact of such vulnerabilities and establish additional layers of protection around critical financial transaction systems.